How do I get a TEDx? Keep applying!
The best advice I can give an aspiring TEDx speaker?
BE PATIENT
You won’t get the first TEDx talk you apply to, you won’t get the second. You probably won’t get the fifth either.
You’ll get rejected, and you’ll be ghosted.
But KEEP applying.
It takes most applicants over a year before they are accepted, it often takes two.
And it probably won't be your first choice of event.
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Here are 5 out of a hundred reasons that good ideas get rejected:
1) Hundred of applicants for 1 or 2 spots
Each year an organizer might be looking to fill 2 spots from new applicants. Their program is curated from their own research, the shortlist they already have from former applicants as well as the potentially hundreds of new applicants.
2) Variety
A TEDx event is curated for a live audience- an organizer will aim to design a diverse program with 10 talks on 10 different topics. Your idea is incredible but you’re a biologist, and there’s already a biologist on the roster, so the chances of an organizer putting another one on this year are pretty slim.
3) Your idea isn’t clear
You must be able to convey your idea in one sentence- if it takes you a paragraph to get your point across, the organizer has moved on already. But remember- your idea is not a snappy title, it’s your talk in a nutshell: the problem and the solution in one sentence, not a clickbait headline.
4) Your application is too long
Keep it short & sweet- and remember, you are pitching your idea, not summarizing it. Use your application to succinctly emphasize why your idea is unique, why it matters and why you are the person to give it.
5) Heard it before
Us TEDx organizers are both endlessly hopeful and excited about ideas (we do this for free after all) but also a jaded bunch. If we think we've heard it before, we'll move on pretty quick. Google any possible version of your idea + TEDx and see what comes up. Maybe you need a new angle.
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I've been a TEDx organizer for over a decade- I know what makes a great talk and I know what organizers are looking for. If you dream of doing a TEDx and want a guide through the process- let's chat.
